Following a surge of recent leaks, the so-dubbed lighter version of the full Galaxy Tab 3 was finally announced by Samsung on Thursday. Many of the features match those of the current Tab 3, while others have been removed. Overall, Samsung is touting the new Lite edition for its "slimmer, more portable design."

Powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core process, the Tab 3 Lite serves up a 7-inch 1,024x600-pixel display, a 2-megapixel rear camera, 1GB of memory, 8GB of storage, and a microSD card slot that can up the storage to 32GB. Samsung's specs also reveal Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, 3G, and 2G connectivity along with a 3,600mAh battery rated for up to eight hours of video playback on a single charge.

To shrink the tablet and still retain a 7-inch display, Samsung moved the menu bar from the screen to the bezel.

Samsung didn't spill any details on pricing or launch dates but said the tablet will be available globally in white and black versions. The full 8GB Galaxy Tab 3 retails for $200, so the Lite model will have to sell at a more appealing price to win over buyers.